As I approach thae last few reps I to take a bit longer, but possibly only 3-4 seconds rest and can't see this being a problem but i'm not too sure about 10 seconds maybe someone else might know better.

When doing deads I am often shattered when I reach rep nuimber 4 and sometime srest for about 10 seconds before attempting rep number 4 and 5, is this ok? or does this make them become single lifts?

When you're doing any kind of lifting program, you want to be performing the reps at an even cadence. If you can't do it, then you need to drop the weight. The only exception would be say the last rep on the 4th & 5th set.

10 seconds seems like a very long time to me. Even when I've done my hardest high-rep DLs (180x11, 200x8) I've rested maybe 3 seconds before pulling the last rep. 5x5 is a punishing program anyway- I would say that if you need 10 seconds rest to get the last rep up you're probably using too much weight.

I am with tokar on this one. If you are doing 5*5 with all working sets at a similar weight it is a harsh program, I know, I am on it . What benefit you will get by pausing for that length and pushing out one final rep may well be offset by chance of injury through loss of form and general burnout. Probably best to let the final rep or two come with the normal cadence over a longer time period.

There are some routines where you do give your self a small break inbetween a certain number of reps, however, 10 seconds sounds like you added exrta sets of 1. I agree with the peeps above who say to drop weight and do the 5x5 the way it's supposed to be done. You'll probably see better results anyway.

Time between reps should be close to zero, other wise it's not reps, it's sinlges. Time between sets on the other hand can be as long as you need, but the denser the workout volume/time the better the hypertrophy potential.

when i do squats(4x10) i need to take some rest pauses as i know i can do more its just theres not enoug oxygen in my bllod stream to keep me going.

Thats exactly what I have to do. I pause not because I need a rest because the weight is too heavy, it is to allow me time to inhale some more oxygen before my next rep. I find my breathing is very important to my training and I make sure I breath correctly.

Time between reps should be close to zero, other wise it's not reps, it's sinlges. Time between sets on the other hand can be as long as you need, but the denser the workout volume/time the better the hypertrophy potential.

There has to be some kind of pause in between reps. #1 to insure you are breathing, if your not catching another breath in between you're doing it wrong. #2, you want to take time to fully contract the muscle and hold it. Also you really don't need more than 2 minutes between sets.

Time between reps should be close to zero, other wise it's not reps, it's sinlges. Time between sets on the other hand can be as long as you need, but the denser the workout volume/time the better the hypertrophy potential.

I don't agree with this. Deads and cleans are the only exercises where i will purposely let go of the bar, stand up, take a pace back and reset for the next rep. by the time i get set again, quite a few seconds may have elapsed, but i feel that resetting for the next rep is crucial for good form in deads. if you can get away without doing that, then good luck to you, but i always lift better using this technique, rest or no rest.

Time between reps should be close to zero, other wise it's not reps, it's sinlges. Time between sets on the other hand can be as long as you need, but the denser the workout volume/time the better the hypertrophy potential.

I don't agree with this. Deads and cleans are the only exercises where i will purposely let go of the bar, stand up, take a pace back and reset for the next rep. by the time i get set again, quite a few seconds may have elapsed, but i feel that resetting for the next rep is crucial for good form in deads. if you can get away without doing that, then good luck to you, but i always lift better using this technique, rest or no rest.

Though I didn't agree with an1mal, he is correct about your workout. That's sets of singles. Your not just catching a breath your letting the muscle breifly recover from the last lift. If you can't get through the set without doing that, then your lifting to heavy.

Time between reps should be close to zero, other wise it's not reps, it's sinlges. Time between sets on the other hand can be as long as you need, but the denser the workout volume/time the better the hypertrophy potential.

I don't agree with this. Deads and cleans are the only exercises where i will purposely let go of the bar, stand up, take a pace back and reset for the next rep. by the time i get set again, quite a few seconds may have elapsed, but i feel that resetting for the next rep is crucial for good form in deads. if you can get away without doing that, then good luck to you, but i always lift better using this technique, rest or no rest.

Though I didn't agree with an1mal, he is correct about your workout. That's sets of singles. Your not just catching a breath your letting the muscle breifly recover from the last lift. If you can't get through the set without doing that, then your lifting to heavy.

I too agree. That sounds like singles to me too. Although I have a few seconds to allow for my breathing I always have the barbell or dumbbell in hand.

Time between reps should be close to zero, other wise it's not reps, it's sinlges. Time between sets on the other hand can be as long as you need, but the denser the workout volume/time the better the hypertrophy potential.

I don't agree with this. Deads and cleans are the only exercises where i will purposely let go of the bar, stand up, take a pace back and reset for the next rep. by the time i get set again, quite a few seconds may have elapsed, but i feel that resetting for the next rep is crucial for good form in deads. if you can get away without doing that, then good luck to you, but i always lift better using this technique, rest or no rest.

Though I didn't agree with an1mal, he is correct about your workout. That's sets of singles. Your not just catching a breath your letting the muscle breifly recover from the last lift. If you can't get through the set without doing that, then your lifting to heavy.

I too agree. That sounds like singles to me too. Although I have a few seconds to allow for my breathing I always have the barbell or dumbbell in hand.

i can see where you fellas are coming from on this. the way i look at it is this: it's a trade-off: if i'm doing a set of 3 triples say, i'll do each set the way i describe with perhaps 5 secs 'rest' between each rep. i'll rest between sets about 3 mins. if i'm doing singles (i.e. fairly close to my 1RM) i might still rest 2 mins between sets, certainly not 5 seconds!!! you guys seem to be saying that i should ditch the 5 seconds 'rest' and drop the weight in order to increase hypertrophy. i'm not saying you're wrong, but the way i see it i'm 'resting' a little (and it is very little) between reps in order to up the weight significantly. i'd say that would be even better for hypertrophy. i'm quite possibly wrong (i'm new to the hypertrophy game), but i'd like to know why. i liken it to the question of rest periods between sets. some recommend 60 secs, some 2 mins, some more. who's right? longer rests allow bigger weights, but shorter ones tire your muscles more.

Depends on what you are doing and also what works for you. The 5*5 routine is a hybrid strength/hypertrophy program. For the major lifts (squats and deads and bench-to a lesser degree) I may take up to 3 to 4 minutes between sets. This enables me to train comparatively heavy throughout the sets because you are nearing resting state between sets. I am effectively accentuating the strength side of the program. If you wanted more hypertrophy (mainly sarcoplasmic- increased glycogen storage+ capillarisation) then reducing the time between sets and fatiguing the muscle would encourage the above (so they say).

Deadlifts are slightly different to other exercises. But once you get past beginner stage you shoudln't need to stand up and re-set betwen reps. Go to Marunde muscle forums and search for the 700lb for 7 reps deadlift.. no re set there, just good form and **** loads of power.